Shamelessmack in Thailand and around

I said in the post Many readers of this blog may be Asian that I should try to provide a few money-saving tips, especially for those who don’t travel to Thailand frequently.

Then I also said that Pattaya and nearby Jomtien beach may be worth a visit in Where is the gay beach in Jomtien?

But is there a convenient and cost-effective way to get from Bangkok to Pattaya?

Before we begin, two caveats:

1. I don’t claim to know all the various, or the cheapest way to get to Pattaya. But I do know two ways which are definitely affordable, which I will share with you.

2. In Bangkok, I tend to stay in hotels within walking distance of the skytrain (and “walking distance” to me is up to 600 metres, with a biggish sling bag);  in Pattaya, I tend to choose hotels in the Boyztown area, with good transport nearby (See Why I prefer to stay in Boyztown). Any advice I give may not be applicable if you stay in distant hotels, or if you’re not physically fit.

My usual route, via Ekamai

Most of the time, I use public transport to get to Pattaya. After checking out of the Bangkok hotel, I walk to the skytrain (BTS) and ride it to Ekamai station (Sometimes spelt Ekkamai). It should cost under 50 baht, and should take no more than 15-20 minutes.

Reaching Ekamai BTS station, get down onto the southwest side of Sukhumvit Road, and walk westwards for about 100 metres to Ekamai long-distance bus terminal. You can’t miss it. It is busy all times of the day.

If you are not staying near the skytrain line, or if you have too much luggage, then take a taxi to “Ekamai Bus Station”. It might cost you 80-100 baht depending on where your hotel is.

Ekamai Bus Terminal is a very basic building (see schematic plan at right). The first section is the ticketing concourse. Walk up to the first booth on your right hand side to buy a seat for the “VIP” bus direct to Pattaya. It’s an airconditioned bus with a toilet on board, and a bus leaves every half hour.

In December 2008, it cost 121 baht, but the ticket price fluctuates depending on the fuel price.

After you’ve bought your ticket, walk through to the platform area and  wait at the first bus bay on your right.

Depending on traffic conditions, you’ll be at the Pattaya Bus terminal (on North Pattaya Road) in about 2 hours, sometimes 90 minutes. There, numerous songtaews will be waiting. Tell any driver the name of your hotel or the name of your soi (if your hotel is a tiny one), and he will direct you to the songtaew that plies that route.

If your hotel is within Pattaya town, it should cost you just 20 baht.

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With Bell Travel Service

Bell operates a door-to-door service from your hotel in Bangkok to your hotel in Pattaya. From their website (www.belltravelservice.com) I see that their price is 350 baht in April 2009.

Use their website to make a reservation, or give them a call.

The way the routing works is like this:

They send a minivan to pick you up at your Bangkok hotel about half an a hour before the scheduled main bus. The minivan goes around some other hotels in your area, collecting passengers and transferring them to Bell’s Bangkok terminus located alonside the Bangna-Trat Highway.

You join the big bus, which takes you to Bell’s Pattaya Terminus, on North Pattaya Road. There you’re split up again into minibuses that will take you to your hotel.

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Direct to Suvarnabhumi

Naturally, returning to Bangkok is just as easy. If after a few days in Pattaya, you need to head directly to Suvarnabhumi airport, both the public bus service and Bell offer direct buses too.

In the case of Bell, call them one day in advance to make a reservation for a seat and tell them which hotel they should pick you up from.

In the case of the express public bus, it is also adviseable to purchse your ticket one day in advance from the North Pattaya Bus Terminus. Of course, on the day of departure, you will have to make your own way to the bus terminus to join the bus. Once on the express bus, you can relax, for it takes you directly to the airport without having to change again at Bangkok’s Ekamai.